Rating: 
Summary: In 30 years, tried 'em all, but carry this one!
Review: I have all the major guides (National Geographic, Audobon, Peterson, etc.), and do refer to them for cross-referencing. However, it is the Golden Guide that is written in, tattered and dusty (thank goodness for its "old-fashioned" stitch binding and wipe-clean cover), and in my "going birding" kit or within arm's reach on my desk at home. Why...?Because paintings can show all field marks to advantage, whereas photographs are limited to focus, lighting, bird position. Because maps, text and pictures together on facing pages makes birding a joy instead of a "research project" (and prevents paper cuts from holding 3-4 place pages at a time). Because there is good information on seasonal changes, breeding habits, etc. -- even in the limited space available. (No guide offers enough of this, in my opinion -- try identifying a Lark Bunting for the first time -- in winter colours!) Because information is presented in layperson language, understandable at any age or level of experience. Now, to be "scientific", I have made each of the others my primary guide for periods of time. My choice of the Golden guide is subjective -- preferences always are. But, for my simple kind of birding, this guide encouraged a child to keep trying, and reminds an adult to enjoy these delightul creatures with whom we live.
Rating:
Summary: Absolutely Great Book but this Edition Needs Improvement
Review: I have carried the older edition of this bird book for a number of years, and purchased this new one as the old one had become so dog eared as to be embarassing. Also we knew that many species ranges were changing, and wanted to be up to date on that information. The new edition has the same format (down to the exact page) as the previous, and same illustrations. The many advantages of this guide include: 1) It has every bird you are likely to see in North America 2) Everything about a species is on one page, including illustration, description, range map, and sonogram of song (for many species) 3) Nice comparison charts of similar and confusing species 4) Range maps include migration date lines 5) True pocket size -- you will carry this book with you in the field! The new edition also has updated nomenclature for species that the bird expert powers-that-be keep changing on us. It also has updated range maps for those species whose ranges are changing. It is printed on a slicker stock than the previous (only time will tell if this is better). It also has a new "quick" index which is handy for locating birds by generic name (crows). But there are some disappointments. 1) It is probably 95% a reprint of the previous edition, both with respect to descriptions and (particularly) illustrations 2) The little check boxes to mark off birds you have seen are missing from the new edition -- surely that was an oversight(?) 3) They did not correct the one thing that was a true weakness of the previous edition, that the range maps are small and rather difficult to interpret. How much easier it would be if the US state borders were overprinted on these little range maps (or for that matter Canadian provinces and Mexican states)??? But of course, it is still our favorite -- if you have only one bird book, and you want to carry it in your pocket, this is the one to buy.
Rating: 
Summary: 2001 Edition -- Updated but we hoped for more
Review: I have carried the older edition of this bird book for a number of years, and purchased this new one as the old one had become so dog eared as to be embarassing. Also we knew that many species ranges were changing, and wanted to be up to date on that information. The new edition has the same format (down to the exact page) as the previous, and same illustrations. The many advantages of this guide include: 1) It has every bird you are likely to see in North America 2) Everything about a species is on one page, including illustration, description, range map, and sonogram of song (for many species) 3) Nice comparison charts of similar and confusing species 4) Range maps include migration date lines 5) True pocket size -- you will carry this book with you in the field! The new edition also has updated nomenclature for species that the bird expert powers-that-be keep changing on us. It also has updated range maps for those species whose ranges are changing. It is printed on a slicker stock than the previous (only time will tell if this is better). It also has a new "quick" index which is handy for locating birds by generic name (crows). But there are some disappointments. 1) It is probably 95% a reprint of the previous edition, both with respect to descriptions and (particularly) illustrations 2) The little check boxes to mark off birds you have seen are missing from the new edition -- surely that was an oversight(?) 3) They did not correct the one thing that was a true weakness of the previous edition, that the range maps are small and rather difficult to interpret. How much easier it would be if the US state borders were overprinted on these little range maps (or for that matter Canadian provinces and Mexican states)??? But of course, it is still our favorite -- if you have only one bird book, and you want to carry it in your pocket, this is the one to buy.
Rating:
Summary: This is my second favorite birding guide.
Review: I have used this guide for 25 years. It is excellent for casual North American birders. It is compact, inexpensive and covers all birds normally found in North America. It has good illustrations of all birds one would normally encounter and good descriptions of the birds. It has some outstanding features found in no other birding guide such as heads of all sparrows on two facing pages so that they are all right there together where they can be easily compared. It has the same layout for winter peeps and fall warblers. This feature in itself makes the book worth having.
Rating: 
Summary: Has some good features.
Review: I've had this field guide in my possession for quite a while. While it does have some good features, I still don't take it along with me into the field. The reason is that I don't have complete confidence in the full-color illustrations. I don't think that any of the illustrations are bad; however, I do find some of them to be fuzzy and unclear. That aside, there are other aspects of this field guide that I like better. This field guide covers all of the birds of North America--regular, casual, and accidental visitors are also included. There's also an informative introduction and a nice section on how to use the field guide. There's an illustration of the topography of a bird with its various parts pointed out. There are two other illustrations detailing the parts of a duck wing. The text information and range maps are on the left page, while the illustrations are on the right page. Habitat backgrounds are used in combination with the illustrations, too, while individual species in varying plumages are also represented. The length of the particular species of bird is shown next to the illustration. The average wingspan of larger flying or soaring birds is also included next to the illustration. Most birds normally seen in flight are illustrated in a flying position. The text information includes the common name, scientific name, abundance, habitat, description, behavior, and vocalizations. Besides the verbal descriptions of songs in the text, songs or calls of many birds are pictured by Sonagrams. There are separate sections that display illustrations of female ducks in flight, hawks in flight, winter plumage of smaller shorebirds, immature gulls, and immature terns. There are also two other separate sections dealing with warblers: one section shows illustrations of only the heads of spring male warblers with and without wing bars, and the other section displays illustrations of fall warblers. Also, another section shows sparrows with and without streaked breasts. This field guide also includes a bibliography and an index. The index of bird species can be used as a checklist for the species identified. A check-off box is situated next to each common-name entry for this purpose. Even though I don't take this field guide with me whenever I go birdwatching, I still find it to be a helpful back-up reference at home when I need to gather some additional information.
Rating:
Summary: Has some good features.
Review: I've had this field guide in my possession for quite a while. While it does have some good features, I still don't take it along with me into the field. The reason is that I don't have complete confidence in the full-color illustrations. I don't think that any of the illustrations are bad; however, I do find some of them to be fuzzy and unclear. That aside, there are other aspects of this field guide that I like better. This field guide covers all of the birds of North America--regular, casual, and accidental visitors are also included. There's also an informative introduction and a nice section on how to use the field guide. There's an illustration of the topography of a bird with its various parts pointed out. There are two other illustrations detailing the parts of a duck wing. The text information and range maps are on the left page, while the illustrations are on the right page. Habitat backgrounds are used in combination with the illustrations, too, while individual species in varying plumages are also represented. The length of the particular species of bird is shown next to the illustration. The average wingspan of larger flying or soaring birds is also included next to the illustration. Most birds normally seen in flight are illustrated in a flying position. The text information includes the common name, scientific name, abundance, habitat, description, behavior, and vocalizations. Besides the verbal descriptions of songs in the text, songs or calls of many birds are pictured by Sonagrams. There are separate sections that display illustrations of female ducks in flight, hawks in flight, winter plumage of smaller shorebirds, immature gulls, and immature terns. There are also two other separate sections dealing with warblers: one section shows illustrations of only the heads of spring male warblers with and without wing bars, and the other section displays illustrations of fall warblers. Also, another section shows sparrows with and without streaked breasts. This field guide also includes a bibliography and an index. The index of bird species can be used as a checklist for the species identified. A check-off box is situated next to each common-name entry for this purpose. Even though I don't take this field guide with me whenever I go birdwatching, I still find it to be a helpful back-up reference at home when I need to gather some additional information.
Rating:
Summary: Pretty good
Review: I've had this guide for a year or two. It's got good text and maps, but I've always thought that some or mostly all of the drawings are sort of nebulous. Even though I don't take this book out in the field, I still use it as a reference when deciding whether I've identified a new species of bird. Other than that, it's pretty good.
Rating:
Summary: Absolutely Great Book but this Edition Needs Improvement
Review: No one has captured the real look of birds the way Singer has. Singer's paintings are really a major creative event.
HOWEVER, St. Martin's doesn't seem to have the reverence for these illustrations that it should. Instead of remastering the originals and providing the book with the best reproduction of the paintings, St. Martin's has cheaply reproduced them in such a way that colors are noticeably faded and washed out -- to the point of possibly affecting identification in a few places. Also, terns and other white birds often seem to vanish into the page.
When the original edition came out many years ago, it changed the look of all field guides for the better. People were also impressed with the value they got. Even the cover was not some rehashed illustration from the interior of the text, but a specially-painted scene of three buntings. That piece of art has now been tossed out entirely and replaced with a rather dreary and photographic-like illustration of two bald eagles perched together with an immature -- obviously their offspring (except that they are both males).
My copy has the birds' wing tips, tails, feet, and sonagrams cut off at the bottom of many pages. This is very annoying.
Also, the broad-billed hummingbird is mistakenly labeled "broad-bellied" on page 191. I spotted the broad-billed the other day and couldn't figure out what was going on in the text!
Where are the check boxes in the index? That's a huge omission!
I still highly recommend this book. No other captures the look of birds in the field as well.
St. Martin's would be well advised to never throw out any of Singer's art. That's kind of a crime and they need to appreciate that fact before they diddle with this great book anymore! The publisher needs to lose the current cover and replace it with the old -- or a redesigned cover with the original art. The edition should be redone with improved reproductions of Singer's fabulous paintings.
If you don't have this book, buy it anyway! It's great and the price has always made the book a steal.
Rating:
Summary: A classic updated, but on the cheap
Review: The Golden field guide, *Birds of North America* has been a favorite companion for countless birders since it was first published in the late 1960's. It has the virtues of being nationally comprehensive, easy to follow (illustrations, maps, songs, and descriptions are provided on the same two pages), and perhaps best of all, small enough to carry in a jacket pocket. It also uses an interesting and highly useful visual "sonagram" approach to conveying information about bird vocalizations. Unfortunately, however, the ornithological powers that be are constantly lumping and splitting species, rendering field guides at least somewhat obsolete overnight. Consequently, these books must be updated periodically so as to be optimally useful to birders. The Golden guide was last updated during the 1980s, and was long overdue for a makeover. Happily, this has finally been provided. And indeed, this revised version of the guide is (for the moment) up to date regarding the various lumps and splits that have gone into effect over the past decade. Some of the "splits" are fully illustrated, as with the Canyon vs. California (formerly Brown) towhee. Some, however, are only mentioned in the text, and sometimes all too briefly. It's probably ok not to have a separate illustration of the smaller Gunnison species of the Sage grouse, but a separate illustration of the California gnatcatcher surely should have been provided. Similarly, the somewhat larger and brighter Island scrub jay should have been depicted separately from its relatives the scrub and Florida jays. Certainly, the publishers of this revised version of the Golden guide have made an earnest effort to provide an updated and attractive entry into the increasingly crowded birding field guide competition. They have included, for example, some new plates illustrating the various introduced parrot species and some (surely not all) of the Eurasian vagrants that are reported in Alaska and along the west coast. There also is a fine illustration comparing the tail feather patterns of both common and accidental pipit species. However, it seems apparent that the update to this guide was done on a fairly tight budget. Most disappointing is the sometimes mediocre reproduction of what otherwise are fine color illustration plates. Particularly in the shorebird, gull, and tern sections, the quality is simply not first-rate. Apparently sloppy reproduction work also can lead to some misleading visual information. For example, based upon the illustrations of the loon species, one might conclude that the summer Pacific loon has a greenish throat patch while that of the Arctic loon is purplish. Still, overall, I have always liked this field guide simply because it is so very easy to carry and to use. Consequently, whereas other larger, heavier volumes may be what I study while preparing for a day in the field, the Golden guide provides me with the quick reference I might need while out in the field. As a handy pocket reference, I would continue to recommend that birders consider purchasing this field guide in its updated version.
Rating:
Summary: A classic updated, but on the cheap
Review: The Golden field guide, *Birds of North America* has been a favorite companion for countless birders since it was first published in the late 1960's. It has the virtues of being nationally comprehensive, easy to follow (illustrations, maps, songs, and descriptions are provided on the same two pages), and perhaps best of all, small enough to carry in a jacket pocket. It also uses an interesting and highly useful visual "sonagram" approach to conveying information about bird vocalizations. Unfortunately, however, the ornithological powers that be are constantly lumping and splitting species, rendering field guides at least somewhat obsolete overnight. Consequently, these books must be updated periodically so as to be optimally useful to birders. The Golden guide was last updated during the 1980s, and was long overdue for a makeover. Happily, this has finally been provided. And indeed, this revised version of the guide is (for the moment) up to date regarding the various lumps and splits that have gone into effect over the past decade. Some of the "splits" are fully illustrated, as with the Canyon vs. California (formerly Brown) towhee. Some, however, are only mentioned in the text, and sometimes all too briefly. It's probably ok not to have a separate illustration of the smaller Gunnison species of the Sage grouse, but a separate illustration of the California gnatcatcher surely should have been provided. Similarly, the somewhat larger and brighter Island scrub jay should have been depicted separately from its relatives the scrub and Florida jays. Certainly, the publishers of this revised version of the Golden guide have made an earnest effort to provide an updated and attractive entry into the increasingly crowded birding field guide competition. They have included, for example, some new plates illustrating the various introduced parrot species and some (surely not all) of the Eurasian vagrants that are reported in Alaska and along the west coast. There also is a fine illustration comparing the tail feather patterns of both common and accidental pipit species. However, it seems apparent that the update to this guide was done on a fairly tight budget. Most disappointing is the sometimes mediocre reproduction of what otherwise are fine color illustration plates. Particularly in the shorebird, gull, and tern sections, the quality is simply not first-rate. Apparently sloppy reproduction work also can lead to some misleading visual information. For example, based upon the illustrations of the loon species, one might conclude that the summer Pacific loon has a greenish throat patch while that of the Arctic loon is purplish. Still, overall, I have always liked this field guide simply because it is so very easy to carry and to use. Consequently, whereas other larger, heavier volumes may be what I study while preparing for a day in the field, the Golden guide provides me with the quick reference I might need while out in the field. As a handy pocket reference, I would continue to recommend that birders consider purchasing this field guide in its updated version.
|
